Huskies Best Salukis, 6-1NIU defeated SIU to improve to 3-1 on the season

Simon Formont is 4-0 in singles matches this season

Feb. 1, 2014

DeKALB, Ill. - The Huskies improved to 3-1 this season with a win against SIU on Friday evening. NIU's men's tennis team and the opposing Salukis took to the courts at the Boylan Tennis Center at 5:00 p.m. and after some close individual matches, NIU walked away with a 6-1 victory.

"We did not play our best tonight, but part of that was SIU's performance," said Head Coach Patrick Fisher. "They came out and played great in doubles to start. Then, we turn around and get off to slow starts in singles, but I have to give our team credit. We withstood their runs and played through those rough patches."

To kick off the event, the teams played some tightly contested doubles matches. Each match had a final score of 6-5. NIU was able to take the No. 1 and No. 2 matches to take the doubles point, but SIU certainly made it a challenge. In the No. 1, Axel Lagerlof and Dor Amir improved their doubles record to 4-0 this season, taking down Jonny Rigby and Michael Kianicka in the match. Jovan Zeljkovic and Matt Lynch picked up their third win of the season in doubles play after defeating Rafael Cuadrillero and Filip Aleksic in the No. 2.

Singles play would prove to be a challenge for the Huskies as well. While they did take five of the six matches here, three matches would need more than the regular two sets to find a victor. Frederic Cadieux continued his excellent start to the 2014 season, improving his record to 4-0 in No. 3 matches after taking a nice comeback victory against SIU's Jorge Cavero, 3-6, 6-5, 10-4. Simon Formont also remained unbeaten on the season, picking up his fourth win against Aleksic, 6-3, 2-6, 6-0.

The Huskies will get right back to the courts on Saturday. Starting at 1:00 p.m. on February 1, NIU will face Detroit at the Boylan Tennis Center. Later that day at 5:00 p.m. the Huskies will host UW-Whitewater.

"Tomorrow will be just as difficult, playing a doubleheader against two good teams," added Fisher. "The challenge for us will be whether we can play with energy and enthusiasm over a longer period of time. I am looking forward to seeing how we handle ourselves this early in the season."